Hey. You stink.

[potatovixen]

So, I have this sticky situation I'm trying to deal with in a tactful way. I have an employee who, for lack of a better word, stinks. His B.O. is so strong that no one wants to work in close proximity to him, and some have gone so far to not be scheduled on the same days. It has gotten so bad that it smells even hours after he has left. I have gotten numerous complaints from other employees, and I need to do something about it.

My question is, how do I tell him that he needs to start wearing deodorant, without hurting his feelings? He has mentioned before that he doesn't like to wear it, but something needs to be done, because the rest of us are getting tired of holding our breath.

 

[Bob]

show him this

 

[AlphaCrab]

First of all what is it exactly that you and the person in question do? Do you work in a hospital?.. a real eatate office? Walton County Dept. of Sanitation? A bit more information would helpful in deciphering a solution to your problem..OK.

 

[Lynnie]

Alpha Crab, BO is BO. You know?

 

[SHELLY]

Are you the employee's supervisor?

It's hard to determine whether you'll "hurt this employee's feelings" or not--the employee may "know" that he has a problem and doesn't care. But if you "hurt his feelings," that's his problem--your job is to concentrate on YOUR problem...which is that his BO is screwing up your firm's operations.

Has he been employed with your firm for a long time?

Did he just recently interview and was hired (did he smell great during the interview?) If so, there should be no "hurting his feelings" he already showed you he knows what to do--you just need to remind him that proper hygiene is expected on the job.

Was he employed for a long time and recently started having this problem? This might be a bit more touchy--maybe his house was foreclosed on and he's living in a car with limited access to shower/laundry facilities. In which case you can offer up some suggestions (is there facilities at/near your workplace where he can get showered each day and launder his clothes?)

Or have you recently been hired and this "problem" has been plunked on your desk. In which case, you'll have to do a bit of investigative work to see if either of the above scenarios are possible.

In the end, if you're the boss, you must handle this quickly and discretely since it is screwing up your firm's productivity and ultimately, profits.

Before the employee leaves for the day, call him into your office and tell him "you're" feeling a bit uncomfortable discussing this delicate situation about his hygiene, but it's important to "both" of you to get it resolved. Ask if there are any problems (medical, etc.) that you may be unaware of for his hygiene issues; listen to his explanation and determine if it is a real problem or just laziness--be prepared to offer up solutions or recommendations. If there are no issues aside from him just not wanting to bathe and wear clean clothes, then you must let him know what you expect and have him report to your office the next day to show you he understands your policy. Praise his efforts and let him know that that is what you expect...then you'll have keep you eye on him from time-to-time to ensure he keeps up the standard you set.

If it turns out that he's just a lazy, dirty, slob...you'll may very well end up firing him.

....being a boss sometimes is a b!tch, ain't it?

.

 

[kit75]

There is no excuse for comimg in smelling of god only knows what. If you had already talked to him and he blew you off by saying he doesn't like to wear some kind of speed stick, that is not your problem but his. That was disrespectful. He's gotta go. As higher managment your word should be law. Good Luck with what ever choice you make.

 

[potatovixen]

Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions.

A little more info: We work in a kitchen. One that I promise is clean to the point of being obsessive. The person in question has mentioned more than once that he just doesn't like wearing deodorant, because "the chemicals and stuff clog your pores and make you smell even worse." I shrugged it off at the time because, honestly, the smell wasn't that bad. Sure, it was noticeable, but it wasn't as distracting as it has become. He always comes in looking clean and well-groomed... it's very obviously just an armpit smell.

It really boils down to: he smells, the rest of my employees are complaining about it, and I need to grow some backbone and handle it.

 

[Mermaid]

PV, this question always comes up in the advice columns so at least you're not the only boss who's had to deal with it! "Dear Abby" says smelly pits could indicate a medical problem so it's not something that can be ignored just because it's an unpleasant topic.

There are lots and lots of natural solutions--just google it. Not wanting to use chemicals really is no excuse for inflicting BO on co-workers, if that's what it's really about.

 

[SHELLY]

Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions.

A little more info: We work in a kitchen. One that I promise is clean to the point of being obsessive. The person in question has mentioned more than once that he just doesn't like wearing deodorant, because "the chemicals and stuff clog your pores and make you smell even worse." I shrugged it off at the time because, honestly, the smell wasn't that bad. Sure, it was noticeable, but it wasn't as distracting as it has become. He always comes in looking clean and well-groomed... it's very obviously just an armpit smell.

It really boils down to: he smells, the rest of my employees are complaining about it, and I need to grow some backbone and handle it.

...chemicals clog his pits and makes him smell even worse??? That's a pretty lame excuse.

If he can't find some "natural, non-pore clogging" deodorant option (which I'm sure there is somewhere out there), then he could do the following:

(1) Bring a box of baby wipes to work and swab his pits down every few minutes as needed.

(2) Buy face masks for the other employees so they don't have to breath in his BO

It's obvious he knows he's stinking up the joint (or has been told) since he's got his "excuse" for not using deodorant at the ready.

Sound like this guy is throwing down the gauntlet...stand your ground and don't accept anything less than an BO-free kitchen--yesterday! Unless this guy is the reincarnation of Julia Child, your kitchen will function much better without this distraction.

 

[Smiling JOe]

I had one employee in the past which sounds like the same person. Hired him as banquet staff, and he didn't stink in the interview. He refused to wear deodorant because of the chemicals, and I can certainly understand that decision, and respect it. However, he was accustomed to his smell, and didn't notice it. Everyone else did. I simply pointed this fact out to him. We had a policy against such things as our servers not wearing excessive make-up, not wearing perfumes, and... being clean. The last thing a dining customer wants is to have their dinner ruined by someone who smells like sweaty armpits or perfume. I offered him a job as a dishwasher, and he turned it down and quit.

If he had been a kitchen employee, as long as he was clean, the stinky part wouldn't have mattered as much, but for a front of the house employee, it was totally unacceptable. Good luck.